October 12, 1851 Tsunami: Albanian Coasts
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.6 earthquake began at Albanian Coasts on October 12, 1851 at 06:00 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.66 meters. Its effects were recorded at 1 place. It killed 2,000 people, counting the earthquake or eruption that caused it.
Where the waves reached
The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.
- Under 1 m
- 1 to 3 m
- 3 to 10 m
- 10 to 30 m
- 30 m and more
- Height not recorded
The tsunami
- Date
- October 12, 1851, 06:00 UTC
- Source
- Albanian Coasts
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.6
- Maximum water height
- 0.66 m (2.2 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 3
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -0.1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 40.500° N, 19.700° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 2,000 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Extreme (about $25 million or more) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- Very many (over 1,000) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
October 12, 1851, (40.5 N, 19.25 E or 40.7 N, 19.7 E), earthquake magnitude 6.6, intensity VIII-IX. Adriatic Sea, Albania. Loud explosive sounds 15 min long were heard in Vlore and followed by an earthquake. Almost all houses and buildings were damaged and partially destroyed. 2000 inhabitants were killed int he country as a whole. The sea level in Vlore rose for 66 cm (2 feet), tsunami intensity 3. (reference #2130)
Every runup
Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vlore (Vlora, Valona, Avlona) | Albania | 19 | 0.66 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1851The 1800sTsunamis of AlbaniaThe earthquakeThis day in weather historyAlerts in force
Sources
Tsunami events and runups from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI tsunami event 784.